The Energy Intensive Industries’ statement highlights severe concerns following the Extraordinary Energy Council meeting on 9 September 2022. The industry leaders emphasise that the continuous spike in electricity and gas prices is crippling European industries, leading to plant shutdowns and decreased production. They criticise the proposed measures as too vague and lacking the urgency necessary to mitigate the pressing crisis. The industries argue for immediate, precise actions to curb gas prices and disconnect electricity prices from gas prices to preserve the competitiveness and viability of European operations.
Concrete takeaways:
- There is an urgent need for effective and immediate relief measures to control gas and electricity prices to protect the European industry.
- The current energy crisis potentially makes it unfeasible for energy-intensive industries to operate, jeopardising investments and production.
- Immediate EU-wide interventions, including price caps on natural gas and decoupling electricity prices from gas prices, are essential to avoid severe disruption and dependencies.